Falling Into Darkness: The Under Series Book 1

by Dakota Lake

  The room was chilly, so I thought just for tonight I would leave my clothes on that and there was no way I was going to change into my cupcake pyjamas in front of Mack.

  I slipped off my shoes and climbed under the covers. Mack stayed on top of the covers playing on his cell.

  I shivered a bit, the heating was only on low. Mack noticed and jumped off the bed and reached up to get a blanket from off the top of the wardrobe. He spread it across my side of the bed. Then he got back onto the bed and laid down close to me.

  “Ruby there's things I need to tell you, things I need to explain. I can't let you leave without telling you,”

  “Leaving. Who said I was leaving?”

  “Carly,” he replied quickly.

  “Carly says a lot of things when she's been drinking. I don't know for sure if I'm going yet? I don't want to, but my brother thinks Heaven's Point is dangerous.”

  “I don't want you to leave either, but if you do I'll come and find you.”

  “It's too far my mom lives really far away from this place.”

  “I'm sure it's not that far. I've travelled further. Ruby,”

  “Hmm,” I replied feeling sleepy.

  He linked his fingers with mine and put my hand on his chest looking at me.

  “I'm not going to let anything happen to you,”

  I put my head next to his shoulder and closed my eyes breathing him in, I had no idea the night was going to end up with me in the same bed as Mack. I didn't know what Mack was or if I even believed fallen angels were real or not it seemed too unreal, but at this moment in time I didn't care what he was, I felt like I needed him and I trusted him more than I trusted others.

  The shouting downstairs woke me up, I sat up then remembered I wasn't in my own bed. I looked at the spot next to me, Mack was gone. I wasn't sure if I was surprised or not.

  I climbed out of bed and opened my door listening to the commotion downstairs. “Where were you? Your bed wasn't slept in,” Caitlin said chasing Aimee up the stairs. “That's cause I didn't sleep in it genius, calm down you're starting to sound like your mother,” “Aimee would you wait a minute,”

  “No I'm still not talking to you for not telling me Robbie was the boy online I have been chatting to for months.”

  “It was just a joke, come on you can see the funny side though,”

  “Just leave me alone. I'm taking a shower.” She slammed her bedroom door shut. “Everything all right?” I asked looking at her over the bannister railing.

  “Just Aimee not being able to take a joke. She got a bit aggressive last night when she found out she had been sending saucy messages to the person that she can't stand to be around the most. Lets just say when she found out she wasn't over the moon about it so she went and found Robbie's dad's golf clubs and played golf off of Robbie's balcony with his CD collection and various other items.” “Can't believe I missed that,”

  “Well you can't miss it today, it's all over the drive. So what happened to you last night? You must have been really distracted by something to have missed the showdown,” she asked. I shrugged and smiled innocently.

  “Hmmm like that is it. Well I thought I saw you and a certain boy heading back here last night,” “I have no idea what you're talking about?” I smiled.

  Micah stepped onto the bottom step and looked up at me, I didn't even know he was down there and in earshot.

  “What boy?” Micah asked raising an eyebrow at me.

  “Don't you have a home to go to?” Caitlin asked squeezing past him.

  I ignored him and went back into my room and pulled my shoes on then I went downstairs and found Carly lounging across the couch flicking TV channels with the sound on mute. I dumped my bag on the floor and jumped on the couch.

  “What ya doing?” I asked.

  “No sudden movements or loud sounds please.”

  “That bad. I told you not to drink so much, you never listen,”

  Micah walked in through the front door and slammed it.

  “Owww! What did I say no noise, my head is pounding.”

  “Are you girls ready to go,” Micah asked.

  “Yep.”

  Carly stood up and used the couch to steady herself as she swayed from side to side. “Seth thinks we're coming back from a sleepover not a rave, you look terrible. You could have brushed your hair at least. When we get back try and act like you didn't spend the night consuming your own weight in alcohol.” I said to Carly.

  “Yes, fine, just stop talking.” she said walking towards the door. We met Caitlin outside on the drive.

  “You guys going?”

  “I think Carly needs a hot bath and some food, then she'll probably spend the rest of the day in my bed. But I can stay and help clean up if I'm needed,”

  “There's no need the cleaners arrived a few hours ago.” Caitlin said.

  “Cleaners?”

  “I don't think Robbie knows what a dustpan is even for, perks of been rich is you can pay someone else to clean up your mess.”

  “Well I'll hopefully see you at school tomorrow then,” I said following Micah and Carly to Seth's truck. “What about Carly's car?” I asked.

  “It's fine I'll come back and get it later.” Micah said lifting Carly into the truck.

  I climbed across and sat next to Carly, she rested her head back against the seat. Micah got in next to me and tried to shut the door quietly.

  “She's not going to get sick inside the truck is she?”

  “No I think she's already asleep. Is that a bit of concern I can hear coming from you Micah,” “Yes concern for the truck, I don't want to have to clean vomit out of the seats.”

  “No I think it was something else, I think you like her,”

  “Shut up,” he smiled and started the truck. “She might hear you, anyway she's too young for me.” “Oh yeah what's the age gap then between you two?”

  He ignored me and fiddled with the radio.

  “Yeah you do look really old I'd say mid thirties.” I said trying to get his attention. “What!” he said looking in the mirror at himself.

  “I do not look that old?”

  “So how old you?”

  “I'm twenty one.”

  “Really, so have you lived in Heaven's Point your whole life?”

  “Err.... why do you want to know this?”

  “I'm just curious I guess, I see you nearly everyday and I don't really know anything about you. So where did you come from?”

  “What do mean?” he said, sounding somewhat confused himself by the question. “I mean where were you born? When did you move here?”

  “You're being strange and nosey. What's with the interrogation?”

  “I was just been friendly. But it's fine if you don't want to tell me.”

  My guess was he wouldn't be able to answer my questions with normal answers. “Good tune.” he said turning the radio up loud enough to drown me out.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Carly took herself straight to bed when we arrived back, Seth was in the shower at the time so he hadn't had a chance to speak to her yet.

  “I can't believe it, she turns up here out of the blue and brings a stomach bug with her,” Seth said searching through the cartoon channels.

  “Well you know Carly, she's always been unpredictable. I'm sure it's only a twenty four hour thing, she'll probably be down here in a few hours asking what times dinner?”

  “I need to get ready for work.”he said handing me the remote.

  “You working tonight?” I asked. I thought he'd said he wasn't working at the factories until Tuesday, but maybe he didn't mean at the factory.

  He left the room and I had to bite my tongue to refrain from saying anything. How much longer did he think he could keep it a secret from me.

  Micah nudged me hard in the leg with his boot from the other couch.

  “Owww! What? You didn't have to kick me,”

  “Go check on her,” he said pointing at the ceiling.

&
nbsp; “No she's sleeping, she's fine it's just a hang over, if you're so worried go check on her yourself.” I replied rubbing my leg.

  “You know you don't have to stay. I'm not going anywhere and I'm not going to do a runner, because I have no intention of leaving this place. I want to stay. Permanently.”

  “It's not safe for you here, leaving is your only option.”

  “For how long a week, a month, a year? I don't want to leave you can't make me,” “No but like I said before Seth can and he will if it means keeping you safe. Why are you being so stubborn, what's so important that you want to stay?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I like it here, the place has grown on me,”

  “No it hasn't you hate it here, you complain about the rain everyday, the town doesn't have all your favourite stores so what is it? Has this got something to do with a boy, perhaps this Mack I keep hearing about?”

  “I have homework, feel free to leave.”

  “Not going to happen, I don't trust you. As soon as I leave you'll probably run off to another partying or some other reckless teenage activity in some dangerous location.”

  “No just calculus homework, Micah.”

  Seth lumped back down the stairs in his boots carrying his bag.

  “So which is it tonight factory work or fight club?”

  Seth looked at me lost for words.

  “What have you forgotten how to speak?” I asked.

  “Rubes what are you talking about?” he said looking at Micah.

  “Did you tell her, I told you I was going tell her. Rubes I was going to tell you,”

  “Tell me what? That you know I can read minds, that your body re-heals itself and so does mine as of the other day. Or maybe I don't know fallen angels are strolling around Heaven's Point and no one thought it would be a good idea to bring it up.”

  I quickly stormed up the stairs a little too dramatic for me but I'd just dropped a major bombshell on my brother and now I couldn't look him in the face.

  “Rube's wait,”

  “Why so you can lie to me some more? Seth I know what's been going on, I know you and Micah have been trying to hide it all from me.”

  I stood at the top of the stairs watching him, waiting for him to say something, anything but he just looked at the floor.

  I can't...., is all I heard him say and that wasn’t even out loud. I could never find the right words.., “You know we used to tell each other everything.”

  “Ruby this wasn't just anything, it's not like I could bring it up over dinner,”

  “It doesn't matter you want to send me back, then send me back then you don't have to tell me anything cause I'll be gone.”

  I could feel tears forming at the edge of my eyes, I turned and ran up the stairs, slamming the bathroom door. I could hear Seth and Micah arguing I wasn't paying attention to what they were saying though, I turned the shower on and jumped in and stayed under the water for as long as possible. Carly was still asleep when I finally emerged from the bathroom. I found Micah playing tug of war with the dog and his rope toy.

  “Did you enjoy your shower? One hour and twenty six minutes to be exact, now that's impressive.” “I was doing a lot of thinking, I forgot what the time was. Does it matter?”

  “So when did you add fallen angels to your vocabulary?”

  “Caitlin she was doing a history project about them and the town. So is it true?” I asked but he ignored me.

  “You know when you don't answer me it usually means I'm right or getting close to the truth so you shut down and change the subject. Would you just be honest with me for once....Micah are you listening?”

  He had walked over to the window and became preoccupied looking at something, I wondered over and stood on the other side of the window opposite him, not sure what he was so interested in. “Micah?”

  “Shhh!” he said at the same time a black van pulled up.

  “Get down,” Micah said, pulling me to the floor with him.

  “What, who is it?”

  “I don't know? I didn't get a good look at them,”

  He slid up the wall and peeked round the window.

  “What do they want?” he said curiously.

  I crawled across the floor and stood up behind him trying to peek over his shoulder. The van had parked near the trees but I could still make out one of the men behind the wheel. “It's the same guy from the club, how did they find me?” I said without thinking. “What?” Micah said angrily. “You've seen them before?”

  “Yes, but promise me you won't shout or get angry with me if I tell you,”

  “Ruby,” he said grabbing my arm.

  “The other night when you asked me where I had been and I told you I had been at Caitlin's all night. Well I lied, I'm sorry,”

  “Ruby, how did you even find the club?” he said pulling me down lower to the floor. “We went to the rental shop and we saw someone we knew from school and Aimee thought it would be fun to follow him, I know stupid idea.”

  “Who?” he asked getting impatient.

  “Mack,”

  “Who is this Mack?”

  “He's just some boy from school, I don't even know his surname,”

  “Describe him now,”

  “Tall, black hair, really green eyes I've seen him driving a mustang and a motorcycle,”

  “You've got to be kidding, I told him to stay away from you. He never listens, always wants to do his own thing. I told him this would happen. Now I've got to deal with these clowns,” “Told who to stay away from me? I don't understand do you know Mack?” Micah looked over the edge of the window ledge again then ducked back down next to me.

  “Mack, McCormack I see Jessie got creative with his last name. This is exactly what happened in my vision, it all makes sense now. You followed him to the club and that's how they found you. So Cole's behind this, in the visions I could never see the face of the person wanting to take you.” Gunner jumped up at the window and started growling.

  “What are they doing?” I asked.

  “They're just sitting in the van, but they're probably planning on coming in. You need to get out of here,”

  “And go where?”

  “Follow the river, it comes out near a bridge where you'll see Eggy's Diner wait for me there and I'll ring you.”

  “What I can't just leave Carly,”

  “Ruby I promise I'm not going to let anything happen to her. Please would you just do as you're told for once. You have to leave now. I'll get her out of here in a minute then I'll come find you, keep your cell on. Now go they're getting out. Ruby go,”

  I stepped back slowly still going over everything in my head.

  “Ruby what are you doing?” I looked at him piecing everything together. He quickly grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the back door, opened it and pushed me out. Then he grabbed the shotgun that was propped up next to it. The dog followed us into the kitchen barking.

  “Now run as fast as you can and don't stop. Do you understand?”

  I stepped back hesitantly and slowly nodded. Running away didn't feel right, leaving Carly felt even worse.

  Micah closed the door quietly and nodded at me with is cellphone to his ear. I turned and jumped off the step my feet hit the floor and I ran quickly to the river's edge and kept running, without stopping to look back.

  I was frighted I didn't know what was happening back at the cabin but Micah said he would make sure he would take care of Carly and I believed him, maybe the gun would be enough to frighten the guys from the club away.

  I kept going but slowed down into a jog, I was surprised I was able to keep going without getting tired or out of breath another thing Seth would have to explain to me.

  The path got narrower the further I went and my jeans kept getting caught on every bramble branch they could find. I really hoped the path led straight to the road otherwise I would be spending the night in the forest at this rate.

  I checked my cell every five minutes to make sure I had sign
al but it kept dropping. I pulled my hood up to try and protect my face from the low branches that kept scraping at it. I couldn't stop thinking about Carly I hated not knowing what was going on. The route took about an hour but I knew I was close when I heard a passing car in the distance. I stepped out of the trees and could see Eggy's Diner further along on the other side of the road.

  I jogged across the road keeping close to the edge, each time I heard a car coming I ducked down behind the trees.

  As I approached the diner I heard a loud engine in the distance, I jogged over and hurried inside, I stood behind the door watching out the window.

  A black mustang pulled up outside and Mack stepped out with his cellphone in his hand. His eyes landed on me and I couldn't help it but I started to tear up. I opened the door and he walked towards me with his arms open for me. I ran into them and he held onto me.

  He pulled me back to look at my face.

  “What's wrong, what's happened?”

  “These guys turned up at my house. I think they were going to hurt me. Micah told me to get out of there and leave, I don't know what's happened my friend Carly was there with him. He was meant to ring me,” I said checking my cell.

  “Who were these guys?”

  “I think they have something to do with someone from the fight club called Cole?” “Okay calm down, you're shaking. Everything is going to be all right I'm sure Carly is fine. We'll drive up there and check it out.”

  “But those guy's might still be there?”

  “And if they are I'll give them hell, come on,” he said taking my hand and pulling me towards the car and opening the passenger door for me.

  Mack got in and put his foot to the floor and went well over the speed limit, turning sharply at the turning off.

  “Sorry,” he said as we turned and I had to grip the seat to hold on.

  “Maybe we should call the police?”

  “Police round here will be no help at all, they get paid to turn a blind eye on these sort of things.” “What do you by theses sort of things?”

  “You said theses men were from the club and you said the name Cole, anything to do with Cole is usually bad and he has the police in his back pocket as he likes to play dirty. So ringing the police would be a bad idea. Look we're nearly there,”